Transforming Planetary Consciousness The Spiritual Work of the United Nations Opening Address, Christ/Gemini Solar Festival Webinar 2017 * Thursday, 8 June 2017 Dear Friends, Good afternoon and Welcome! We are meeting today to observe and work with the essential and pivotal energies of the Christ Festival the last of the three Major Spiritual Festivals the Festival that someday, if due preparation is made, can become a culminating point providing, what the Tibetan Master refers to as a crescendo of revelation. We appreciate your presence here today and we look forward to the good work that we can together accomplish, as we offer ourselves in service to the work of redemption, healing and transformation! As is the practice at these monthly meetings, after the opening address, intended to unify, stimulate and prepare our group mind, so that we can hold it steady in the light, we will move to the focus of the meeting, which is Group Meditation. Following this, you will have an opportunity to share your thoughts and ideas, if you like. This month, it is with great joy that we welcome Dr. Susan MacNeil who, after my opening address, will speak to the importance of the Great Invocation and its pivotal role in this Festival, which, as we know, is also referred to as World Invocation Day this, with the intention of helping humanity realize the causal practice (as in, cause and consequence ) of Invocation and Evocation a practice that will increasingly characterize the work of reconstruction in our evolving Age of Aquarius. It is auspicious that we are meeting and working here today, observing this Festival that is "Christ's Unique Occasion" on a Thursday the day set aside in which aspirants, disciples and spiritual workers the world over contemplate the Reappearance of the Christ, striving to create the Path of Light by which He may once again, openly walk amongst us, vitalizing and energizing the Good, the Beautiful and the True. In the U.S. Eastern Time Zone, the exact time of this Festival is tomorrow morning, June 9th at 9:09 a.m. Today, is therefore the 2 nd and last day of Preparation in the five-day cycle that makes up each of the 12 Solar Festivals. * Opening Address presented by Ida Urso, Ph. D., for the 2017 Christ/Gemini Solar Festival Webinar, sponsored by the Aquarian Age Community. The books cited in parentheses are copyrighted, published and available from the Lucis Trust at www.lucistrust.org.
Let us then proceed, maintaining an attitude of dedication and upward striving, as we intend to become recipients and custodians of as much of the inflowing spiritual force, as we are capable of holding, on behalf of humanity at this significant time of the year. The photo on your screen is that of the Gemini constellation, depicting its two bright stars, Pollux and Castor, which some of you may recognize from the cosmic image that accompanies the June quote of the month in the Aquarian Age Community website. Reminding us of the Ageless Wisdom that spans cultures and eras, NASA s Astronomy Picture of the Day explains in its description that in terms of Babylonian, Greek and Roman mythology, Pollux and Castor represent twin brothers. The Secret Doctrine, as referenced within Esoteric Astrology clarifies that these twin stars represent the mortal half of the individual the personality and the immortal part the Soul or the spiritual Self. Without its link to the immortal half, the personality would not survive; and, without the personality, the immortal half could not bring its Light and Goodness into our planet. This constellation, existing as it does clearly visible within its celestial home, for all to see, provides a wealth of meaning and, profoundly encapsulates the truth about humanity s long evolutionary journey in consciousness, from the fourth kingdom into the fifth kingdom of the Soul. The Secret Doctrine describes their relationship thusly, Castor owes his immortality to Pollux and Pollux sacrifices himself to Castor. (II, 130 in Esoteric Astrology, p. 677) The golden jewel of humanity s divinity is indeed embedded within each of us and it is up to each of us to cultivate it and bring it forth, as in to externalize it. And so, dear Friends, may this magnificent photo serve to remind us, not only of the planetary and extra planetary work in which we are today involved, but may it also remind us, of the sacrificial, and dynamically beautiful solar and planetary process that is now underway and in which it is our great privilege to cooperate and contribute. Keeping these thoughts in mind, can we now open our hearts and minds, uniting in loving cooperation with all co-workers who are similarly working everywhere throughout the planet? And, can we affirm aloud, with heartfelt dedication, the Noon-time recollection? I know oh Lord of Life and Love about the need. Touch our hearts anew with love that we too may love and give. [Pause] "I recognise my other self and in the waning of that self, I grow and glow" such is the esoteric keynote of Gemini. Unlike mundane astrology which concerns itself with the personal, form life, esoteric astrology focuses primarily on the unfoldment of consciousness, informing us that our solar system is one in which sensitivity to contact is the dominant quality. All units of life are therefore driven by need and environing cosmic circumstance to develop love-wisdom an inherent attribute that is both descriptive and expressive of the consciousness aspect. Love is response to contact and in the human being this means understanding, inclusiveness and identification.
Wisdom brings skill in action as a result of developed love & the light of understanding. It s the ability to bring together into a fused relationship the recognized need & that which will meet the need. These two lead to Service, which is essentially a scientific mode of expressing love-wisdom under the influence of one or other of the seven rays, according to the soul ray of the serving disciple. (Esoteric Astrology, pp. 493-494) As one of the four arms of the Mutable Cross, Gemini, in this world cycle, produces that constant flux and change, which provides a field of adequate experience, cultivating sensitivity, leading, eventually, to the unfoldment of consciousness. Governing as it does all the pairs of opposites in the zodiac, Gemini preserves the magnetic interplay between them, keeping them fluid in their relations, in order eventually to facilitate their transmutation into unity, and, as a result, this sign is sometimes called the "constellation of the resolution of duality into a fluid synthesis." (Ibid., p. 347) Gemini is, therefore, one of the most important of the twelve signs and its influence lies behind every one of them, as it seeks to forge a unity of consciousness. Because the second Ray of Love- Wisdom pours through Gemini, it becomes apparent how true it is that love underlies the entire universe. God is love, we are assured, and this statement is both an exoteric and an esoteric truth because this underlying love of Deity reaches our solar system primarily through Gemini, which forms, with the constellation of the Great Bear and the Pleiades, a cosmic triangle. (Ibid., p. 348) Additionally, Gemini, not only forms a point of entrance for cosmic energy from Sirius, it also controls esoterically, the heart of our solar system and thus regulates the pulsation of life which sustains all that is. The waxing and the waning light which distinguishes soul experience from the first faint move towards incarnation and Earth experience, the rise and fall of civilizations and the growth and unfoldment of all cyclic manifestations all are produced by the "interplay between the two brothers." (Ibid., p. 352) We are promised that when "the immortal brother floods the mortal brother with the light and life of God," then, will the heart centre of humanity, with its correlating activity of consciousness; that is, group understanding and group love, will function freely. (Ibid., p. 367) Is it any wonder then that the Christ Festival, which is also known as the Festival of Humanity and World Invocation Day takes place within this sign? I would be remiss not to mention that during this Festival period, cosmic energies, known as the Forces of Reconstruction are now uniquely available. Given humanity s evolutionary status, these energies, effective mainly in relation to nation states, are as yet, the least powerful of the three streams of energy released during the three spiritual Festivals. However, because of the significant attainments within the United Nations and the progress that is globally occurring in the field of politics and government, these energies are increasingly
effective so that the objectives of world unity and progress for all the world s people are today a focus of striving, not only within the UN, but also within the consciousness of ordinary citizens, witness the many global demonstrations, marches and rallies. To sum up, this Festival recognizes the spiritual and divine nature of humanity the bridge builder, aspiring towards God, seeking conformity with the will of God and dedicated to the expression of right human relations. (The Reappearance of the Christ, p. 155) Legend has it that standing in His Own place at a central point in Asia, remote from the throngs and the impact of humanity, Christ blesses the world at the exact moment of the Full Moon of June. He then repeats the Buddha's last words or sermon, as well as the Beatitudes which He previously uttered and which have been so inadequately and misleadingly translated. Additionally, the Christ will also sound the Great Invocation. (The Externalization of the Hierarchy, p. 481) And I am now happy to turn the mike over to Susan who will address the question of How Can a Concerted and Mindful Use of the Great Invocation Affect Planetary Consciousness?
How Can a Concerted and Mindful Use of the Great Invocation Affect Planetary Consciousness? * The Great Invocation is a group invocation and prayer and belongs to all of humanity. The time for the next phase of evolution has arrived. A great passing from the Piscean Age into the Aquarian Age is occurring. The world had been given spiritual statements in the past such as Shri Krishna s the Lord s Song from the Bhagavad Gita, preparatory to the coming of the Christ in Roman Times. In that song he says: Whenever there is a withering of the Law and an uprising of lawlessness on all sides, then I manifest myself. There is evidence that great world prayers and spiritual statements have a relation to world events. The Lord s Prayer served the Piscean Age and the past 2000 years, and it is the purpose of the Great Invocation to serve humanity through the Aquarian Age for the next 2000 years by raising human consciousness from the emotional center to the heart center. It is an appeal to people s higher nature; love and thought. The Great Invocation relates the Will of Shamballa, the Love of the Hierarchy, and the Service of Humanity, through Creative Intelligence into one great triangle of energies. Shamballa is the center where the Lord of the World resides, and the Spiritual Hierarchy are the Masters of Wisdom that have transcended from the human kingdom into the spiritual kingdom, helping to show us the Way. This triangle of energies, (the Will of Shamballa, the Love of the Hierarchy, and the Intelligence of Humanity) will have two major results: the sealing of the door where evil dwells, and the working out on earth of the Plan of Love and Light. The Great Invocation lets loose the spiritual inflow from the macrocosm to the microcosm where the invocative cry of humanity is now being heard. It is an evolutionary crisis and as we know, crisis creates opportunity. That opportunity is to become instruments of service to seal, frustrate, and render futile evil (evil being: materialism, selfishness, greed, separatism and hate) through the center which we call the race of men. Since it is through humanity itself that evil will be obliterated. The Great Invocation appeared in June 1945 at the time of the full moon. Alice A. Bailey had already been working in collaboration with Djwhal Khul, a Tibetan Master of the Wisdom, since 1919, and this was a culmination of their sustained effort. Foster Bailey in Running God s Plan, talked about how it was one of the most momentous achievements in their body of work; and, that Alice Bailey came from that meeting exhausted and exhilarated. What we do know is that every word was taken into account with rhythmical, numerological and astrological considerations, and that when thousands of individuals and groups sound it together, a vibration is created that heightens our consciousness and energizes the world with the divine Masters Love and Will. * A talk given by Susan MacNeil, Ph. D., on 8 June 2017 in observance of the Christ Festival/World Invocation Day, at the monthly Webinar sponsored by the Aquarian Age Community.
Why does the Invocation refer to men? A brief explanation is that man is from the Sanskrit word manas, meaning human being, the root of which means to think. Yet we do not say into the minds of thinkers, ostensibly because of the energies and vibrations of the words. And we use mind since it is through the mind that Love emanates. We know that the doctrines of all the world religions speak to the coming of Avatars, world Teachers and Saviors. What are they coming to teach? That there is a Plan to forward the evolution of humankind through right human relationships. Two Avatars, whose missions have been greatly studied, are the Buddha, the messenger of light from the East, and the Christ, the messenger of love from the West, known as the World Teacher, and the Head (CEO if you will) of the Masters of Illumination (the Hierarchy). The Ageless Wisdom teachings give us a unique opportunity for understanding the purpose of their work. Since The Great Invocation speaks to Christ s reappearance, we must understand that the title of Christ is a universal term for the World Teacher representing all faiths, not just a Christian one, and is known by many names such as: the Lord Maitreya, the Bodhisattva, the Imam Mahdi, and the Messiah. The Christ gave His intention to reappear on Earth in visible presence. One way of preparing humanity for this event is by giving the world the Great Invocation to aid us by expanding the quality of loving-understanding that is expressed when love and intelligence are brought together. Christ consciousness is one of equilibrium and an expression of the will-to-good. We are told that the Master s use this great Invocation and that not a day goes by that the Christ Himself does not sound it forth. The trend towards truth seeking and the spirit of relationship are materializing everywhere with the growth of the principle of sharing. It is a positive sign when the sensibilities of the men and women of goodwill are much greater than those of most leaders. Therefore, the Great Invocation may also be regarded as a prayer for the Enlightenment of all leaders who handle world matters, as such the United Nations may fulfill its destiny in binding together these leaders for the common good. That is why when we sound The Great Invocation our pure and loving intentions are so essential. The Great Invocation, when said with the power of the soul, as well as with the directed attention of the mind is an extraordinarily effective tool. So, let s every day move forward, with humility, love, understanding, and joy, having a powerful effect on planetary consciousness by enlightening our fellow travelers with love and strength to restore the Plan on Earth.
The Great Invocation From the point of Light within the Mind of God Let light stream forth into the minds of men. Let Light descend on Earth. From the point of Love within the Heart of God Let love stream forth into the hearts of men. May Christ return to Earth. From the centre where the Will of God is known Let purpose guide the little wills of men The purpose which the Masters know and serve. From the centre which we call the race of men Let the Plan of Love and Light work out And may it seal the door where evil dwells. Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth. OM OM OM (See, this on-line pdf booklet on The Great Invocation.)